“Our 500,000 regional free seats campaign is an important impetus to boost tourist numbers and spread the economic benefits brought on by tourism. We continue our role as the chief campaigner for tourism in this part of the world,” she said in a statement today.

“This should speed up development of tourism and transportation infrastructure here,” Tan said.
AirAsia, which operates over 108 routes to cities in all 10 Asean countries, China, India and Australia, has played a leading role in the growth of tourism in the region, having carried over 55 million passengers over six years.

According to the airline, its no fuel surcharge policy makes the free seats even more attractive to guests who only need to pay for airport tax and administration fee. Guests may also buy complete holiday packages at www.goholiday.airasia.com, where they may choose their holiday lodgings from over 50,000 hotels.